


Eternity

by FireFaceOutlook



Series: 10 Days of LawLu, 2k17 [7]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Luffy is already the Pirate King in this, M/M, just FYI
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-11-10 17:29:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11131491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireFaceOutlook/pseuds/FireFaceOutlook
Summary: I’m sorry, Torao...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: The original title was "Escape". This is going to be continued at some point. I promise; I've already got a lot of it planned out. :)**

This was it. It was all over. Law had to admit, he hadn’t thought they’d last even this long (but he’d been hoping they’d last longer…). As he knelt beside Luffy, his eyes scanned the rainy scene around them. The Straw Hats were holding their own admirably against the marines, and he was proud to see that his own crew was doing just fine as well, and they were all working together like a well-oiled machine. Fury was carved into each face, and underneath it, pain and sorrow that would likely escape in the form of tears if it didn’t get run out of their systems in this fight. The cause of such strong emotions? Luffy. Luffy, who had the foolish idea to take a bullet -- seastone bullet -- to the heart. For Law.

 ** _It’s ironic, isn’t it?_** a dark voice whispered in the back of his mind. **_All he’s done since you reunited was save your life. Far more times than you’ve saved his._**

 _But I_ can _save his life,_ Law thought, his gaze dropping to the pale, limp body in front of him.

And it’d been a long time coming, too. When Luffy took down Doflamingo, when he avenged Law’s most important person, Law knew that he’d be willing to do what Doflamingo had tried to force out of him for Luffy. And while he’d never had to perform such an operation -- after all, he was still currently alive -- he knew, deep in the recesses of his mind, how to do it. He’d already removed the bullet, when he’d attempted to save Luffy’s life (when Luffy had grabbed his hand and smile and _died_ ). There was no seastone to block his progress, and seastone would never again be a problem for Luffy.

He moved his hands so they hovered over Luffy’s torso, one specifically over his heart, and he felt slightly foolish for it, but he willed Luffy to be okay, to be alive, to be **immortal**. And when the letters of death began to glow, one by one, he knew it was working. They glowed the same color as his _Room_ s, and the rest of his tattoos followed suit.

“C-Captain!” he heard Bepo shout, Penguin, then Shachi, then the rest of his nakama echoing the cry.

Bepo was smart -- they were all smart -- and Law had no doubt that they all had figured out what was going on. He also knew that when he was gone, they would all take care of each other until the end. Law began to feel drained, as if all his energy was being drained through his fingertips to Luffy. As the Straw Hat captain’s skin returned to its previously tan state and his eyes fluttered open, Law moved on hand to cover them.

“Don’t look, Luffy-ya,” he whispered.

The fact that Luffy didn’t struggle, didn’t try and stop Law, was a sign of how out of it he still was, but that worked well in Law’s favor because he didn’t think he could stop Luffy, even at his weakest. He could see his own fingers taking on the same pasty color that Luffy’s skin had previously held, and a sharp ache was forming in his chest, around his heart. He hadn’t realized how painful death could be, he hadn’t realized that he would take Luffy’s injuries upon himself, but he wouldn’t have changed his mind, even if he had known. And when it was all over -- when his vision was spiraling into the void and he heard a ringing in his ears that meshed with the cries of his crewmates -- all he felt were Luffy’s arms around him, clutching him tight, and he knew he had made the right decision.

  


Luffy held Law close, staring blankly in the distance as the sounds of the battle behind him continued on at an even fiercer intensity, if it were possible. He couldn’t believe it. He had worked hard for two years, and every day since the reunion between himself and his crew, to become so strong that no one could take his nakama and friends away from him. Between Punk Hazard and Dressrosa, Law had become increasingly important and even more so since Luffy had taken down Doflamingo for making his newest friend suffer so much after all the pain he’d already gone through. Luffy would give his life for any of his crewmates, and Law had happened to be the one who needed it most.

Now their roles were reversed.

It was like all those years ago, when Law had saved Luffy from Marineford -- he hadn’t had a reason, as far as Luffy could see, to do it. He’d done it because he was a decent person, contrary to public belief. And now he’s done it again, because they were friends -- nakama. Because of those small moments where he smiled at Luffy when no one was looking, just because Luffy was grinning at him. Because of those stolen moments in the shadows or under the cover of the moonlight where they’d exchange kisses and hold hands and bask in each other’s presence. This time, however, Law’s decision was permanent. Luffy knew it was, and the cold body against his confirmed it. And he felt angry. Angry at himself for not letting his hand or shoulder receive the bullet instead of full-body blocking it and getting himself killed. He was angry at Law for being so stupid and thinking Luffy’s life was more important than his own. He was angry at the marines who had caused this whole mess, and he would make them pay. He gently lowered Law to the deck of the Thousand Sunny before he stood and turned to face the marine ship upon which his and Law’s nakama were fending off what seemed like endless swarms of navy officers. No one else would die in this battle -- he would make sure of it.

  


_Coby is a good friend,_ Luffy decided as he watched the keel of the disguised ship make its escape with the Straw Hat and Heart pirates on-board. All except him. But that was fine.

He was drowning and it was more peaceful than he’d expected. Maybe it was because he’d managed to save everyone else. Maybe it was because a captain was supposed to go down with his ship in his last moments, and he’d missed his cue because the Sunny had been sunken -- with Law --, taking the Polar Tang with it, long before the battle had been finished.

 _This isn’t why Torao saved me…_ he thought, and that sobered his spacey mind. _Torao sacrificed himself for no reason at all…_

He couldn’t really feel it, but he knew he was crying as his chest tightened.

_I’m sorry, Torao..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Then, with a sudden lurch that made Bartolomeo and Duval jump back with matching shrieks and Gambia attempting to do the same, but falling over the edge of the ship instead, Luffy began to make choking noises, water escaping in a short fountain from his mouth."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: So this takes place centuries after chapter 1, and it's sort of like a modern day AU, where there's continents instead of islands dotting the world, but they're still named after islands of the past (i.e. Ohara in place of Russia, etc., mostly based/mentioned from the ethnicities of the Straw Hats that Oda provided). There are still some individual islands, such as the island where Whitebeard and Ace (and the others lost in Marineford) were buried, untouched by time, and they're in the middle of sections of the ocean like the Bermuda Triangle, which, for the sake of this story, are what's left of the wild and unpredictable oceans of the Grandline or New World.**

Horror stories flooded the news and history books of the Bermuda Triangle. It's not the only section of the world that causes aircraft or shipping incidents and disappearances, but it's the best-known area for just _how many_ accidents take place within its boundaries. That didn't scare Nico Robin, though. No, she found that the Bermuda Triangle was the perfect place to do her research into just how true the history books were on the existence of the Grandline. Most people wrote off those books are mere stories of a person gone mad – the maps accompanying them did not make this “Nami” or “Sabo” any more refutable with their claims. And sure, Robin didn't believe everything that they wrote either – living skeletons? talking animals? _Devil Fruits?_ – but the thrill of archaeology is finding proof of a past long since forgotten. And if this Grandline and New World really existed at some point and were as wild and unpredictable as Nami and Sabo claimed, then there just _had_ to be proof of it within the Bermuda Triangle and areas around the world like it.

That was why Robin was in the borders of such a dangerous area of ocean. The team she had brought with her consisted of many participants who were willing to dive into the depths of the water to find relics of the past, or even treasure. ( _The ones eager to find gold or jewels were the ones who had heard of Robin's discovery of one Captain Kidd's treasure, which he hid away for only those with a strong enough will to find it._ ) As she waited for the divers to return, she discussed her next move with the captain of the ship she was renting out, an over-enthusiastic man by the name of Bartolomeo. He was a fanatic about the pirate era, believing every word of Nami and her adventures on the _Grandline_ and the _New World_ , but Robin appreciated his enthusiasm. They were mapping out just how far they would go before stopping to search again when one of the divers resurfaced. 

“Robin!”

Duval, the leader of the group of divers, waved a hand to catch her attention as she peered over the side of the ship. He had a wide grin on his face, mouth piece of his breathing equipment resting against his chest. He attempted a wink and Robin was unaffected by the cringe-worthy display, but it appeared that Bartolomeo was not as he stumbled away from the edge with a curse.

“You're really gonna wanna see what we found!”

Robin didn't often go along with her diving crew because she couldn't swim very well, but she trusted Duval, having worked with him in many underwater archaeology investigations, so she pulled off her casual clothes, which sat atop of a diving suit (just in case of events like this), got her gear prepped and ready to go, and joined him in the water. With their breathing masks in place, Duval took Robin's hand and they went under. The encompassing silence that surrounded them under the waves unnerved Robin, as if she could drown at any moment – which she _could_ – but she always wanted to see remnants of the past with her own eyes, so she was glad that Duval had resurfaced for her sake.

They were going down for so long that Robin wondered if they had gotten lost, until she saw the glow sticks that the team used to mark their findings in dark water depths. And in the center of the glow sticks was a ship. It was covered in algae and fish swam around and through it. A massive hole tore at its side, and Robin gave a passing thought about being eaten by sharks before Duval was pulling her to the front of the ship. There, where Gambia, Bartolomeo's shipmate who had volunteered to navigate the waters with the diving crew, and a few others were pulling off algae and scraping off barnacles, was the figurehead. It reminded Robin of a sunflower, but with the snout and eyes, it was likely meant to be an animal of some kind – perhaps a lion. Most interestingly, the ship seemed to resemble that of the one Nami described sailing upon: the Thousand Sunny. 

Duval cracked another glow stick and, with the water lagging his movements, tossed it towards the deck. The green item floated slowly to its destination, but when it got closer to the surface, Robin could make out many interesting things: the grass and tree on the deck seemed to still be thriving, a broken swing remaining on one string that was attached to a branch, and a body. To Robin's immense surprise (and pleasure), the body seemed to be incredibly well-preserved – Duval wasn't as joyful about the sight as he gagged slightly by her side. Seemingly untouched by the scavengers of the deep, the corpse swayed gently atop the greenery. In fact, it almost looked like he – the body being so well off that she could tell without question the gender – was just napping. (And in Robin's mind's eye, she could almost see his pasty blue-green skin being tan and his chest rising and fall with slow, peaceful breaths, and she could hear the soft murmuring of other people in the background:

_“Wow, he's actually asleep. That's new.”_

_“Indeed it seems so. We should leave him be, Nami-san.”_

_“I guess you're right, Robin. Let's--”_

_“Shishishi! Is lunch ready yet!? Sanji!”_

_“Luffy, be quiet!”_ )

“Collect the body,” Robin was ordering before she even officially decided that that was what she desired to do. Her voice sounded muffled and strange to her own ears due to the breathing mask, but she couldn't bring herself to care. “We're bringing it back immediately. Mark the location of the ship; we'll return to recover it another time.” 

Duval seemed a little surprised at that, but he relayed the orders to Gambia and the other divers before guiding Robin up to the surface. Once she was back on the solid ship, she felt much more at ease and even excited. Bartolomeo seemed to pick up on her mood because he was leaning over the edge of the ship, despite being just as much of an anchor as she was, and eagerly awaiting his crewmates. When they surface, the dead body hanging between them, Robin directed the careful relocation of it from the water surface to the deck without it being manhandled too roughly. She did _not_ want this find to be damaged in any way (and she was a little stunned at the surge of protectiveness that flooded her heart; it was as if she worried about more than protecting a rarely preserved body). In the sunlight, the boy – he didn't look to be more than twenty years old – looked even worse off. His limbs seemed to be permanently pruned from the ocean, and his skin was almost bleached outside of the dark depths that had only been lit by glow sticks. A strange sunken 'x' mark stretched across his chest, and his hair seemed brittle in the sunlight. His clothes were worse off than his body, barely hanging off of his emaciated body in shredded remnants, as if undersea creatures had dared to pick at them but were too scared to touch his skin. He barely retained any modesty from the pants, and it made Robin uncomfortable and sad in the depths of her mind.

“Who do you think he is?” Gambia asked as he wringed out his long hair, no longer up in that strange updo he'd had before diving. It now hung in wet clumps around his shoulders, like the tentacles of an octopus, in Robin's personal opinion.

“Luffy,” Robin replied without thinking. It was as if the name just came to her. At her side, Bartolomeo gasped so hard that she feared that he'd swallow his windpipe and choke to death.

_“Monkey D. Luffy?”_ he whimpered. Robin had a feeling that if she peered closer, she'd see literal stars forming in Bartolomeo's wide and watering eyes. “The captain of the Straw Hat pirates and Nami? Brother of the son of the first Pirate King? _The last Pirate King himself!?”_ He looked ready to fall to his knees and grovel at the corpse's feet. Gambia was struggling to hide it, but he seemed about ready to do the same.

Before Robin could attempt to do damage control on her slip of the tongue, her eye caught onto a detail on the body that she _knew_ wasn't present before: the scar was no longer sinking into his chest cavity, and it was a pale pink instead of dead white. She knew she wasn't openly gaping at the change, but the others seemed to catch onto her point of interest and also focused on Luffy's body (or rather, in Gambia and Bartolomeo's case, focusing more specifically) as the bleached coloring gave way for the tan Robin had somehow guessed was once his skin tone. The perma-wrinkles from the water smoothed out as if ironed, his hair fell more naturally, and while his clothes didn't change, he seemed much less vulnerable than previously.

Then, with a sudden lurch that made Bartolomeo and Duval jump back with matching shrieks and Gambia attempting to do the same, but falling over the edge of the ship instead, Luffy began to make choking noises, water escaping in a short fountain from his mouth. Robin rushed forward almost instinctively, grabbing the boy by his shoulder and rolling him onto his side. He hacked and spewed what seemed to be an entire pond worth of salt water before he was heaving in rough breaths. Robin rolled him onto his back once more as Gambia climbed, once more soaken wet, onto the ship again. Luffy didn't seem to have woken during his near-death experience and after making sure that he wasn't going to start choking again, Robin turned to Bartolomeo, who was gazing, startstruck, at the reanimated relic from the past.

“Get us back to land. _Now_ ,” she ordered, and he complied with a hasty, “yes ma'am,” throwing only a single backwards glance at Luffy before he and Gambia were scurrying off, giggling like schoolgirls.

Robin brought her gaze back down to Luffy as Duval slowly trailed after the two fanboys.

_Just who are you really, Monkey D. Luffy? Are you truly the captain that Nami-san and Sabo-kun mentioned in their tall-tales? Are your adventures true? What secrets do you hold?_

But she supposed that all those questions would have to wait just a bit longer to be answered. In the meantime, Robin supposed she could see if there were any extra clothes and blankets below deck for the now-shivering, now-alive, impossibility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: So after a night of no sleep, I finally decided at 5:30 am that going to sleep at that point would be useless, so I turned that bout of insomnia on its head and decided to do something productive. I hope you enjoy and appreciate it~ Also, I would've posted it as soon as I was done, but our cable box crapped out and without it, the internet didn't work, but I welcome you all to read it now! Let me know what you think!**

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: So what did you think? What do you think is gonna happen in the future?**


End file.
